NSU Department of History to host Ballenger Lecture

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Northeastern State University will welcome author and professor Dr. Kristen Oertel to present the 2024 Ballenger Lecture on Feb. 29.

Named after history professor T.L. Ballenger, the lecture series is an annual presentation by a leading history scholar of cutting-edge research in their area of expertise.

Oertel currently serves as the Mary Frances Barnard Chair in 19th-Century American History at the University of Tulsa where she teaches classes on the Civil War and Reconstruction, African-American history, the history of race and gender in America and the history of sexuality.

Her current research focuses on the history of slavery and Black resistance in Indian Territory.

Oertel will present “The "First" Emancipation Proclamation: Black Rebellion, Freedom, and Removal During the Seminole Wars” as the 2024 Ballenger Lecture. The discussion will explore the intersections of Black and Indigenous history and the various meanings of freedom in the Nineteenth century.

The lecture will be held on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6 p.m. in Wilson Hall room 407 on the NSU Tahlequah campus. Students, as well as members of the public, are invited to attend the free event.

For more information, contact Dr. Michelle M. Martin at marti328@nsuok.edu.